Dsquared2 has dismissed general manager Chiara Baravalle less than six months after her Feb. 1 appointment, with sources confirming the executive was let go this summer. The Milan-based brand confirmed the split in a statement, saying it "confirms that its professional collaboration with Chiara Baravalle has come to an end. The brand is currently working on a new organizational structure."

The abrupt exit leaves founders and designers Dean and Dan Caten running the company directly, again, and raises fresh questions about governance stability at a label that has cycled through four general managers in under a decade.

Why the exit matters for sourcing watchers

The management shake-up landed at a critical moment for Dsquared2's supply chain. Baravelle joined as the company renewed its licensing agreement with Staff International — the manufacturing arm of Renzo Rosso's OTB Group — for production and distribution of its ready-to-wear collections. That renewal, signed this year, extends the partnership another five years through the fall 2031 season.

The license dates back to 2000 and was previously renewed in 2020 through 2027. The latest extension came only after Dsquared2 and Staff International resolved a legal dispute last May, when the Caten brothers shelved their plan to take production of the brand they founded in 1995 back in-house.

Sources now say OTB Group, a longtime manufacturer of the brand through Staff International, had been looking at taking control of the label — but those talks broke down after the summer. The failed negotiation leaves Dsquared2 independent for now, but with no confirmed leadership structure and a licensing partner that has already explored ownership.

What Baravalle brought — and what Dsquared2 loses

Baravalle arrived with a heavyweight operational profile. She joined from Forel, the operational investment firm founded by former Gucci president and CEO Marco Bizzarri, where she led strategy, investments and portfolio development. Before that she served as general manager at Elisabetta Franchi, and earlier as chief of staff to Bizzarri at Gucci, sitting on the executive committee, driving global strategic priorities and transformation, and liaising with parent company Kering. Her career began in Silicon Valley, followed by a stint in Bain & Company's fashion and luxury practice. She is a Stanford University graduate and holds U.S., Italian and French citizenship.

Her mandate was explicit. At the time of her appointment, the Catens said the brand was "at a turning point" and that "the priority for 2026 is straightforward: setting the foundation for the next chapter. More concretely, this means reactivating the brand and stabilizing the business. Critically, we need to move forward with purpose, as one team moving in the same direction."

A revolving door at the top

The general manager seat at Dsquared2 has proven hard to keep filled. Ennio Fontana exited in February 2024 after less than a year in the role. He had succeeded Sergio Azzolari, who left to become CEO of Roberto Cavalli roughly a year after joining Dsquared2 — taking a post that had sat vacant since 2017.

Since Fontana's departure, the Catens have led the company themselves, a structure now effectively restored following Baravalle's dismissal.

The leadership churn runs alongside a broader cost program. At the end of last year, Dsquared2 initiated a reorganization across its worldwide offices that affected around 15 percent of its workforce, a decision the company framed as a response to market challenges.

The commercial backdrop

Dsquared2 last staged a fashion show in Milan in January, a coed lineup that drew outsized attention when "Heated Rivalry" star Hudson Williams made his official runway debut for the brand. In September, the label presented its spring 2027 men's and women's collections by appointment in its Milan showroom rather than on a runway.

Staff International, the OTB-controlled manufacturer holding the Dsquared2 license through 2031, also produces for Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni and Viktor & Rolf, as well as childrenswear maker Brave Kid. OTB additionally holds a stake in Amiri.

With Baravalle out, OTB's takeover talks dead and a new organizational structure still being defined, the Catens face the task of stabilizing both leadership and the 2026 reactivation plan — with their most important manufacturing partner now locked in through fall 2031.